For some years now, there has been an increasing interest in treating teeth with fluid polymerizable monomers which are activated to form polymers either on the surface of teeth or in cavities. Initially, it was the practice to apply such polymerizable monomers with a brush or spatula to the tooth surface. Such treatment was awkward in that it was difficult to control precisely the amount and exact position of application. There has more recently been considerable work done in applicators with nozzle tips for applying predetermined amounts of polymerizable fluid to the teeth. For instance, reference is made to Dragan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,399, who discloses a system that is particularly designed for the application of filled resin systems useful as restorative composites, and to Perfect, U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,042, who discloses an applicator that is designed specifically for applying pit and fissure sealant to the surfaces of teeth to prevent the formation of caries.
This invention is directed to an applicator for accurately dispensing small amounts of fluids, such as pit and fissure sealants, acid etching fluids, fluoride treatment fluids, or filled systems such as dental composites. The applicator of this invention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is simple to operate, and applies with precision a predetermined amount of fluid directly to the desired site on the tooth.